Driving change at universities: oikos Reutlingen gets rid off disposable cups on their campus

Get inspired by this amazing story from oikos Reutlingen, where our passionate oikos members fought and won to permanently ban the use of disposable cups on their campus. Learn from their experience and create a disposable-cup free zone at your university. Everyone can be a part of the change towards a more just and sustainable future – start by saying no to disposable cups!

Anatomy of the project

Goal: The goal of oikos Reutlingen’s undertaking was simple to ban non-reusable cups at the Reutlinger campus. The road to accomplishing the goals was not simple, but they were determined and started their campaign by raising awareness on how much waste is generated through the students’ weekly coffee consumption.

The first steps: The first stakeholder they reached out to was the Mensa canteen responsible for providing these cups. They team learned that the person in charge of Mensa had contemplated the idea of eliminating disposable cups and appreciated the oikess help to explain other students what layed behind the intention of abandoning this inconvenient product. Thanks to the collaboration, they were allowed to use the space in front of the Mensa and display the huge number of cups they collected over a few days.

Getting ready for a big display: Students in teams or alone were collecting cups for two hours per day for five days. Within a week oikos Reutlingen collected nearly 1000 disposable cups. With the additional support of seven people, they prepared a disposable cup installation in front of the Mensa canteen to visualize the volume of the waste.

The pile of cups made students understand how much non-recyclable waste they generate within just a week. It means that in one school term 14400 cups are used and wasted by students. After the display, no single-use coffee cup was handed out by the Mensa staff.

Expert advice: Before getting rid of the cups, it is important to present alternative ways for the students to get their coffee on the campus. They can either bring their own cup or use one of the ceramic cups at the canteen. The key to the successful implementation of the campaign is to present this zero waste project on oikos’ social media channels and explain how this undertaking could have a positive impact on the environment. The 1000 cups (or rather lack of them) can make all the difference!

Reach out to Anna-Lena Härtl of oikos Reutlingen at annalenahaertl@gmail.com to learn more about their experience.

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oikos International

posted February 21, 2019

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Alumni Get Together

Come and meet fellow oikos Alumni in Paris on March 5th, 2019 !

It will be a great opportunity to chat, network and enjoy a nice drink! Plus, you will have the pleasure to meet and discuss with Cécile Massé from CROC, a local social caterer (http://croc-traiteur.eu/) !

We will meet in Fluctuat Nec Mergitur café, 18, place de la République, 75010 Paris at 7:30 pm.

Meeting in French and/or English according to who shows up 😉

Event organized by the French Alumni Ambassadors: Chloé Laurent, Jérôme Lhote, Alexis Angot, Fanny Bancourt

For further information, go here 

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oikos International

posted February 14, 2019

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oikos Newsletter February 2019

Welcome to the February edition of our Newsletter! We bring forth the most interesting updates from our community and encourage you to immerse in the oikos experience by participating in our programs and events:

  • Apply to the oikos Winter School 2019!
  • Submit your case on sustainability to the oikos Case Writing Competition!
  • Join the FutureLab 2019 organizing team!

In this edition, you can learn about events organized by our chapters in New York, USA and Leipzig, Germany. Meet Stefano Ramelli, who has recently completed his fellowship with us and looks back at his oikos journey in the “30 seconds with” segment. Finally, read a UN Global Compact Report on Business School Rankings for the 21st Century prepared, among others, with contributions from oikos.

Enjoy this February edition of our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter to stay updated!

Read the whole newsletter here

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oikos International

posted February 12, 2019

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LEAP Advanced Webinar on Procrastination

On Wednesday, February 27th, 6:30pm CET oikos LEAP Advanced Participants will join in to the webinar on “Procrastination” featuring Timothy A. Pychyl

Tim is the Director of the Centre for Initiatives in Education and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. He has garnered an international reputation for his research on the breakdown in volitional action commonly called procrastination. In addition to his scholarly publications as well as books such as Solving the Procrastination Puzzle (2013, Penguin) and Procrastination, Health and Well-Being (Elsevier, 2016; co-edited with Fuschia Sirois, University of Sheffield), Tim produces the iProcrastinate podcast (iTunes) and writes the Don’t Delay blog for Psychology Today (see procrastination.ca for more information).

Tim’s research is complemented by his passion for teaching for which he has won numerous awards including the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, the Ontario Faculty Associations Teaching Award, The University Medal for Distinguished Teaching, the Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award, and, most recently, the Carleton University Student Association Teaching award. Tim has been an invited speaker across the country working with professors in universities and colleges to enhance teaching and learning.

When not on campus, you will find this self-described “dinosaur dad” at home on his hobby farm with his wife and children (ages 13 and 11). Together they care for their huskies and horses while enjoying the restorative countryside of the Ottawa Valley.

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oikos International

posted February 11, 2019

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oikos Talk: The Environment and The Law

How can the law apply to climate change?

Join oikos NYC as we welcome Randall S. Abate, who will speak about the legal aspects of a warming world. His discussion will focus on how the law can protect the most vulnerable under climate change.

Overview:

Future generations, wildlife, and natural resources – collectively referred to as “the voiceless” in this presentation – are the most vulnerable and least equipped populations to protect themselves from the impacts of global climate change.

Food Waste Presentation

Domestic and international law protections are beginning to recognize rights and responsibilities that apply to the voiceless community; however, these legal developments have yet to be pursued in a collective manner and have not been considered together in the context of climate change and climate justice. This presentation first identifies the common vulnerabilities of the voiceless in the Anthropocene era. It then proposes how the law can evolve to protect their interests more effectively through a stewardship-focused and rights-based system derived from the mandate inherent in the concept of sustainable development.

This presentation is based on Professor Abate’s forthcoming book by the same title, which will be published by Cambridge University Press in August 2019.

Randall S. Abate

Randall S. Abate is the inaugural Rechnitz Family / Urban Coast Institute Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy, and a Professor in the Department of Political Science and Sociology, at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. He teaches courses in domestic and international environmental law, constitutional law, and animal law.

Learn more here!

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oikos International

posted February 10, 2019

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Ethical Fashion Show

With the support of Quartier Libre, oikos Reims presents

The Ethical Fashion Show with a theme of 4 seasons

Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring: what is your favorite season?

Each brings changes and novelties. From one season to another, our moods change, our desires evolve and our wardrobe is renewed. We offer you an alternative to enrich your dressing room responsibly.

oikos Reims, with the support of creators from all walks of life, invites you to an ethical and trendy shopping: handmade accessories, clothes, organic lingerie, vegan and artisanal shoes, green decor.

Enjoy live performances, dance, music, poetry and photos.

Come and see the designer pieces on Wednesday, February 27th!

Learn more and check out the program here.

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oikos International

posted February 10, 2019

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Panel Discussion on Food Waste Causes & Solutions

oikos Lund in partnership with Food Saving Lund will host a panel discussion on Food Waste Causes & Solutions.

Globally, 5.4 million square miles of land — around 10% of the planet’s habitable surface – is used to produce food that is never eaten (WWF, 2018). If food waste was a country, its emissions would come in third after only China and the United States (FAO, n.d.).

Is food waste the world’s most unnecessary problem? Or has the importance of food waste been overrepresented at the expense of other types of waste? Join Oikos Lund and Food Saving Lund for a panel discussion on the causes, effects, and potential solutions to food waste.

Our Panelists

ROWAN DRURY

Founder of Gram Malmö, Sweden’s first package free store.
Rowan will be discussing her motivation behind starting Gram Malmö, and the associated challenges and opportunities with selling package-free food and household products.

PROFESSOR HERVÉ CORVELLEC

Department for Service Management and Service Studies.
Hervé has researched the production and management of waste, including ethical normalization of food waste by food management and the overrepresentation of food waste in waste plans.

KATRIN MOLINA-BESCH

Department of Design Sciences.
Katrin’s research explores the environmental impact of packaging in food supply chains, while unravelling the “Green Packaging Dilemma”.

ANNA BERNSTAD

Post Doc, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; former PhD student at LTH: Department of Chemical Engineering.
Anna will be discussing household food waste separation and the importance of convenience, as well as outlining the role of life cycle analysis in evaluating the environmental impact of food waste.

Learn more here!

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oikos International

posted February 10, 2019

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Green Week 2019

oikos Copenhagen invites you to the annual Green Week at CBS!

Green Week 2019 is all about discovering chances and challenges of the sustainable business ecosystem. Join us for this unique opportunity to engage with high-profile actors from different fields through lectures, workshops, panel talks, a sustainability themed career fair and green food tasting.

This year’s event takes place between 12th and 14th of March, but we will kick off the event on 5th of March with a clothing swap accompanied by acoustic music from CBS Jam at Nexus. Hook up with us on our oikos Copenhagen Facebook page and on Instagram to keep updated on all the events.

Learn more here: https://oikos-international.org/copenhagen/

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oikos International

posted February 10, 2019

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Sustainable Finance Conference

On January 29 2019 oikos Bayreuth will host a conference on sustainable finance.

How can banks act sustainably? – asks oikos Bayreuth. Mr. Oliver Patzsch  of the Umweltbank will provide an insight into the world of sustainable finance, as well as into the business model and philosophy of the Umweltbank on January 29, at 6:00 pm.

For more information visit: https://oikos-international.org/bayreuth/

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oikos International

posted February 10, 2019

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oikos Annual Report 2018

We are excited to present the oikos Annual Report 2018. The report outlines our main activities and achievements in the preceding year and provides a brief overview of our plans in 2019.

Read the whole report here

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oikos International

posted February 7, 2019

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